Stress-free side hustle? Make cash by renting out your car, boat, bike or pool Other top toy makers mingling in the metaverse

At this point, the metaverse basically represents a 3D model of the internet – a place parallel to the physical world – or a shared virtual space that’s interactive, immersive and even hyper-realistic. WowWee has partnered with Gamefam on My Avastars, with the initial launch of three dolls based on the new Roblox role-playing game. Meet My Avastars,a newcollection of dolls available for presaleSaturday that's being hailed as the first-ever toy “born in the metaverse.”Why is this important? Because your 7- to 12-year-old’s about to know a whole lot more about the metaverse than you do.

PERSONALIZED AVATARS IRL! My Avastars 11” Fashion Dolls bring the fun of creating virtual avatars to real life. Each doll can be customized from head to toe to create 100+ looks. Inspired by kids’ use of avatars to explore, create and express themselves in the metaverse, WowWee partnered with Gamefam, a top publisher on Roblox, in the creation of My Avastars. As the Roblox universe continues to grow, we’re focused on creating the next generation of hit franchises born from the metaverse,” said Joe Ferencz, founder and CEO of Gamefam. “My Avastars marks the first time a toy and Roblox game have been developed concurrently, reaching players with an engaging experience both in the real world and in the metaverse.” According to Roblox’s latest statistics, there are some 55 million daily active users. Of those, one in every five people updated their avatars every day in 2021. There’s also been explosive growth in the number of female creators on the platform, which the company said experienced “353% year-over-year growth,” in 2021. With numbers like that, it’s no surprise that My Avastars core demo is girls. Half of Roblox players identify as girls, yet when you look at how the toy industry intersects with gaming, its product offerings are focused primarily on action figures and blasters,” Wiseman added.

As a gamer myself, I love customizing my avatar before every session. This digital customization play pattern is so in line with traditional doll role-play yet I wasn’t seeing this type of integrative play being offered in the doll space. With My Avastars, kids now have the opportunity to turn their digital avatar into a real life fashion star with a variety of looks and accessories for endless customization, creativity and self-expression, both online and in real life.” PERSONALIZED AVATARS IRL! My Avastars Fashion Dolls bring the fun of creating virtual avatars to real life. With over 100+ possible looks in each box, the personalization opportunities are endless! This entire concept delivers directly to the shift in popular play: Part digital, part physical, done alone or with friends, in the real world or online. My Avastars is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between well-known toy maker WowWee– of Fingerlings and Got2Glow Fairy Finder fame – and popular title creator Gamefam, the first professional company to utilize Roblox as a video game development platform.

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While it’s a first in this form, My Avastars is far from the only nameabout to step foot in the toy-meets-metaverse space. Nintendo's ongoing collaboration with Lego has yielded some incredible toys, including Lego-fied versions of Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and many others. A few things stand out here: The toy industry is evolving and catering to kids’ explosive interest in gaming. It also zeroes in on a hugely popular digital play pattern – customizing your digital self.